And Still
by Sparkleblsmchyld
Summary: Things turned out differently than Nick and Greg both thought.


And Still / CSI / Nick and Greg / PG  
Title: And Still  
Author: Sparkleblsm  
Fandom: CSI  
Characters or Pairing: Nick/Greg  
Warnings: Het and slight angst.  
Word Count: 1141  
Disclaimer: The pretties aren't mine, I just love to play.  
Feedback: Makes me bouncy happy!  
Author's Notes: Written for Drabbles100 on Livejournal. Prompts #10 Years, #34 Not Enough, #36 Smell, #51 Water, #86 Choices.  
Summary: Things turned out differently than Nick and Greg both thought.

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Greg took a deep breath, it couldn't be, in a town of over one million people and he had looked up to find Nickolas Stokes looking at him from not ten steps away.

He couldn't leave, not after he knew Nick had locked eyes with him. He closed his eyes; memories of laughter, tears and tender kisses came flooding back.

Opening his eyes, he saw Nick coming his way and he tightened his grip on the hand of his lover, seeing Nick and another person coming over.

"Greg! It has been so long." Nick smiled as he stopped in front of him. Greg smiled, "Nick, man, how have you been? It seems like it's been forever."

"Yeah, seems like it. It's only been 7 years, not _that _long." Nick chuckled. "Oh, Greg," Nick said, pulling someone closer to him, "I want you to meet Jennifer, my wife." Greg smiled and shook her hand, he smiled, she seemed like the sweet, down-home girl that Nick would have eventually married.

"Nick and Jennifer," Greg added, nodding towards Nick's bride, "I would like you to meet Michelle," he said looking over to the girl at his side; the girl who seemed to share Greg's taste for band t-shirts and wild hair, smiled and shook Nick and Jennifer's hands.

"So what are you doing in town? A little far away from Texas aren't you?" Greg chuckled, poking fun at the out of place Texan.

"Yeah, just thought I would stop by, this town has a lot of good memories. I miss some things from the past, the CSI Team, Vegas, and this fountain, you know, you never quite forget things that happen here. It almost makes them magical."

Greg smiled and nodded, he did miss Las Vegas. Los Angeles was nice, he grew up there, but he had more memories here. More good times, more insane times, but also things he wanted to leave behind.

They talked for a shirt while, watching the fountain dance, talking of old friends, eventually sharing dances with their lovers before finally having to end the evening.

As Greg was walking off down the strip to one of his favourite restaurants, he heard Nick yelling for him to 'Wait up a minute.'

Nick caught up with him, breathless, "Sorry, just remembered something." Greg looked over at Michelle, "Meet you there?" She smiled, kissed his cheek and headed off, he knew she was anxious to go and get drinks for them before the legendary crowds from the pirate show at Treasure Island attacked all the best bars.

"Where's Jennifer?" Greg asked, his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "In our car, the crowds were bothering her." Nick chuckled.

An uncomfortable silence rested between them for a second, before Nick grabbed Greg into a hug, which Greg returned gladly.

Nick's scent really hadn't changed, still the same cologne Greg had loved.

Greg's hair still stuck up in every direction and smelled like mangoes.

Nick had let his hair grow out a little and a few grey hairs had started to peek through, the age making Nick look a little more stylish.

Greg had taken to wearing eyeliner more-frequently; the dark lines making his brown eyes so much more expressive.

"I miss seeing you around. Texas is my home, but I do really miss Vegas." Nick said gently and reluctantly breaking the hug. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Los Angeles is nice, my home and all too but Vegas had so much more. Just something nowhere else has." Greg grinned in agreement.

"Well," Nick said, offering out his hand, "it was great to see you again Greg. Stay in touch?"

Greg smiled, taking Nick's hand, "Of course not. And it was great to see you again too."

Handshake ended, they hesitated before both turning and walking off to their separate lives.

Back in Texas

Looking in one of his back closets found the box labeled 'VEGAS'. He smiled, pulled off the lid and saw piles of pictures, some news articles, and a variety of gifts, tools and other things he had acquired over the years there.

He pushed some things to the side, digging to the bottom of the box. Nick smirked and pulled out a shoebox that had been bound shut with several rubber bands. Pulling them off one by one, he lifted off the lid. A picture of a younger Greg making a funny face was the first thing he saw. Pulling that out, a stack of several pictures, a couple of little trinkets and a variety of ticket stubs, notes and a few other oddball things were among the other things in the box.

Pulling out the stack of pictures, he shuffled through them, noting some from the lab holiday parties, mistletoe planted in all the lab hallways by Greg created pure chaos. He laughed at the memory of Hodges caught off guard by a kiss from Cara. More pictures and one of Doc Robinson in the morgue with several skulls beside him was mixed in the shuffle.

He finally found the picture he was looking for and paused.

It was night, the night of their year and three month anniversary.

They had been out all night, given 2 days off together, they went all around town.

It ended with a slow dance by the fountains of the Bellagio.

The picture had been taken by a woman who they asked to take a picture for them, she had smiled, gladly accepting both Nick and Greg's cameras.

The kiss that night seemed perfect, everything had been perfect that night.

A tear slowly trailed down his cheek and he wiped it away as he flipped the picture over.

Scribbled in Greg's handwriting, it read:

Happy Anniversary Nick!

May 17, 2005.

Love you, you know that right?

Nick flipped the picture back over and was startled out of reliving memories when he heard Jennifer call for him. "Coming baby, just a minute." He placed the pictures back in the box and then put the shoebox back and pushed the box back into the closet.

In Los Angeles

Greg flipped the small picture book shut and placed it back in the bottom drawer of his desk. Leaning back in the chair, he hummed a tune to himself. He remembered watching the fountains dance in time to it.

Michelle walked in and found him leaning back and smiling to himself, "What are you thinking about?" Greg just smiled, "Oh, things in Vegas. You know, like how you think about New York."

She just smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Oh and you were right," she said softly. "I was?" Greg turned to look at her. "Yeah, the fountains at the Bellagio are really wonderful."

Greg smiled, and sight out a soft 'yeah, I know.'


End file.
